Team News

The Saints are expected to sign free agent TE Jared Cook, sources tell me and Tom Pelissero. One of the top free agents still out there, Cook gives QB Drew Brees an immediate big-time weapon.

Fantasy Impact:

This is a fantastic landing spot for Cook and he'll make a great addition to an already dangerous New Orleans receiving corps. Given the state of the tight end position, Cook has a great chance to finish in the top 10 again in 2019.

The Raiders now have a receiving corps of Antonio Brown, Williams and Jordy Nelson, so Derek Carr can't say he doesn't have enough weapons to throw to. Williams had a big sophomore season in 2016, catching 69 passes for 1,059 yards and seven touchdowns, but averaged just 42.0 catches for 691 yards and 4.5 touchdowns in his last two seasons. His production in 2016 came with Keenan Allen sidelined, but he played second-fiddle to Allen in 2017 and 2018. Williams will serve as a very capable downfield threat while Brown and Nelson work the rest of the field. Fantasy-wise, it's tough to see the Raiders supporting more than one bona fide fantasy starter at receiver unless Jon Gruden decides to crank up the team's passing volume.

The source, it seems, was Brown himself, via his Twitter account. The move is great news for Derek Carr and the entire Oakland offense, but it's a significant downgrade for Brown. Carr is no Ben Roethlisberger and there may be growing pains in Oakland, especially given Jon Gruden's struggles to get the most out of Amari Cooper.

The Bears needed just two days to find their replacement after defensive coordinator Vic Fangio left to coach the Broncos.

Coach Matt Nagy announced Friday night he hired former Colts head coach Chuck Pagano to step into the team’s top defensive role. Pagano has 16 years of NFL coaching experience, most recently as the Colts coach from 2012-17.

Pagano, 58, was the Ravens defensive coordinator in 2011, when they went 12-4 and ranked third in total defense, third in points allowed, second against the run, fourth against the pass and third in sacks. Before that he served as defensive backs coach for the Ravens, Raiders and Browns.

Fantasy Impact:

As the story mentions, Pagano guided the Ravens to the No. 3 overall finish in 2011 before jetting to Indianapolis to take over the Colts. There, his defenses finished higher than No. 20 just once (in 2014) in six seasons. Otherwise, the defense was a perennial problem. Given all the talent on that side of the ball, the Bears should be fine defensively.

Ware practiced in full every day this week, so the expectation is he will play Sunday. The question is, how will Ware and Damien Williams split work? Ware has always been good when given the chance, but Williams has been sensational the last two weeks, totaling 263 yards and three scores. We have Williams ranked as a high-end RB1 and Ware in RB3 territory.

Lindsay, who exited the game after a carry in the third quarter, said he would try to play in Week 17 against the Chargers, even though the Broncos don’t have playoff implications on the line. Freeman would likely have a bigger role in Week 17 if the Broncos hold out Lindsay.